Whiskey and copyrights

Athens-based The Felice Brothers are awesome and like whiskey on their whiskey.

Seriously.

That bear in the background of the video by YouTube user "lifeisasoundtrack" is the logo for the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, where they played earlier this year.

The opening act was A.A. Bondy, an amazing (and I mean, amazing) singer-songwriter from Alabama who recorded his album, American Hearts, at the Red Barn in Palenville.

The sound's is, again, as good as the user's sense of copyright. But the music is superb.

Fear not, they're both playing somewhat close to home, at the Linda Norris Auditorium in Albany (home of WAMC's "Live at the Linda") on Sept. 11. Buy tickets at www.wamcarts.org/artsched.html. Or call (518) 465-5233 ext. 4.

Writing, but not writing

I'm going to be on vacation for two weeks, but I've posted enough stuff -- timed to one per day -- to keep you entertained.I might jump in sometime if anything big happens (because, you know, that's what people do in emergencies -- read blogs).

Until then, here is Yoda, a cat with four ears, which in my book is no stranger than a dude winning 8 gold Olympic medals in a single year.

In this undated photo provided by Glenn Olsen Photography, Valerie Rock poses with her cat Yoda. Ted and Valerie Rock said they've been inundated with television offers and media inquiries since their son posted a photo of their smoke-colored cat on a Web site. That turned the four-eared feline from a suburban animal oddity into an instant Internet celebrity

Biden: The worst keep secret

There, I saved you a text message from presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, who promised to tell YOU first via a text message.

His running mate will be Sen. Joseph Biden, CNN reported late Friday.

Yes, Biden was the one who said Obama was "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." You'll hear this till no end until November, just like you'll hear how Sen. John McCain doesn't know how many houses he has.

Television newscasts were doing biographies of Biden on Friday already, noting that the other Veep hopefuls had been notified they were not "it," and that there was Secret Service police at Biden's house.

What was that?

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingshuinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in wahtoredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olnyiprmoetnttihng is taht the frist and lsatltteer is at the rghitpclae. The rset can be a toatlmses and you can sitllraed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raederveylteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

According to www.bulmash.com: "No, he never worked for McDonalds, though he did work for Jack in the Box for 2 days in the mid-80s (mostly frying tacos before he got disgusted and moved on to bigger and better things). The job application was a joke (see the April 10, 1997 humor column below) that became an urban legend."

* Local politicians were around doing their usual politicking. So no, you can't escape them, no matter how hard you try.

* Most of the crowd, estimated in the thousands, was cleverly located in the shadow. There was, thankfully, plenty of water to go around. And this year, no mayor was ran over. There was also no Mayor's Cup, which is fine with me.

Here are some of my images (Full disclosure: I'm a writer, not a photographer, so judge accordingly):

The film already has won the Audience Award & Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival and was the winner of the Audience Award & Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Eclipse video

...A total solar eclipse is seen in Jiuquan, in China's western Gansu province Friday Aug 1, 2008. Millions of Chinese along the ancient Silk Road gathered Friday to gaze at a total solar eclipse, an event traditionally fraught with superstitious meaning coming one week before the start of the Beijing Olympic

From Russia, with love

The moon passes in front of the sun, during a total solar eclipse as a cross of St.Bazil's Cathedral is seen at left, in Moscow on Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. The rare total solar eclipse will be seen across much of eastern Europe during Friday although some areas are expected to be cloudy.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Eclipse view from the International Space Station

The International Space Station was in position to view the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the moon as it moved between Earth and the sun during a solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. This astronaut image captures the umbral shadow across southern Turkey, northern Cyprus and the Mediterranean Sea.